Intervention in individuals predisposed to develop RA, with a holy grail of prevention of RA, has long been a hot topic. The 4-year results of the TREAT EARLIER study, presented at Tuesday’s oral abstract session, show that methotrexate appears to prevent the development of RA in high risk ACPA- patients.

Rheumatic diseases, such as axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), are marked by unpredictable disease flares that adversely impact quality of life and long-term outcomes. Advances in machine learning (ML) provide a promising avenue for predicting these flares, enabling proactive management and personalised interventions.

Bimekizumab (BKZ), a monoclonal antibody that selectively targets both IL-17A and IL-17F, was evaluated in the BE MOBILE 1 (non-radiographic axSpA) and BE MOBILE 2 (radiographic axSpA) trials and found to yield significant clinical benefit – around 60% of patients in both trials achieved an Assessment in SpondyloArthritis international Society (ASAS)40 response rate, with i

For many women, the journey to motherhood brings a sense of anticipation and joy. However, for those with rheumatoid arthritis, this journey presents unique challenges. At ACR Convergence 2024, researchers discussed how advancements in reproductive medicine and RA management are paving the way for improved outcomes.

Different factors are known to influence disease characteristics and outcomes in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Recently, there is new evidence that sex-related differences play a role not only in disease manifestations but also in efficacy and safety of treatments as well as outcomes and prognosis.

Reported safety signals, at odds with the efficacy of these medications, have left rheumatology clinicians in a difficult position when considering when during a patient’s treatment course and in which patients, specifically, JAKi should be used. Two abstracts from ACR convergence 2024 further contribute to our understanding of this potential risk profile.

Suppose you have a patient with lupus returning for follow-up. Their joint symptoms are well controlled. The kidneys—managed with a combination of biologic DMARD and mycophenolate—show no signs of active urinary sediment or protein. Yet, during the routine visit, your patient brings up fatigue and difficulty remembering things. How do you address this? Several studies presented at ACR24 focused on cognitive impairment in lupus.

The treatment paradigm for Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) has been a binary approach to the presence or absence of vasculitis. When GCA is present, we institute high doses of glucocorticoids for treatment of the inflammatory process. This approach is not well individualized to the patient as we do not account for the degree of inflammation that may or may not be present in the disease. Improved markers to stratify the extent of inflammation can help

We now have an absolute plethora of agents available for use in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). In contrast we have an almost complete lack of understanding of how best to optimise use of these agents – what is the right agent at the right time for the right patient. A study presented this week has given us some further information on the topic.

One of the hot topics during the meeting was gender differences in SpA. Three abstracts presented addressed issues related to these differences particularly in the aspects of treatment response and disease activity.

Highlights from Day 3 at ACR24 included the plenary session presentation on Nipocalimab (previously reviewed), but the big highlight was the Lupus Nephritis guideline recommendations.

This has been an interesting ACR meeting in terms of PMR updates. I would argue that we are still far too wedded to glucocorticoids only in the management of PMR. Yes, some patients will do fine with just glucocorticoids but we persist far too long with a glucocorticoid only strategy in others who clearly need an alternative as glucocorticoid adverse events multiply.

Lots of lupus research and the New ACR Guidelines on Lupus Nephritis management were presented today. These and other highlights as featured on our Twitter (X) feed from ACR24 in Washington, DC.

A retrospective cohort study presented at #ACR24 explores the benefits of GLP-1Ras in reducing the risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) for patients with lupus nephritis. Drawing on data from the TrinetX global research database, the study examines how GLP-1Ras may reduce ESRD progression in a population where 10-20% progress to ESRD within five years, even with immunosuppressive therapies.

The findings from ORAL Surveillance Study have been a dominant conversation at recent ACR Convergence, with the seminal findings and subsequent analyses a target of debate. Subsequent post-hoc analyses, follow-up studies, and claims data analyses have been used to further interpret the data, though a clear answer on safety is not certain. A study presented on Sunday reported on a new post-hoc analysis that provides new insights.